Context
- Kawasaki disease is generally considered a rare disease however it is becoming increasingly common with 1,000 hospital admissions per year in the UK, making it more common than measles and bacterial meningitis.
- Kawasaki disease can be difficult to recognise, because the symptoms overlap with many other more common childhood illnesses.
- Urgent recognition and prompt treatment is required. Delay can lead to permanent heart damage and death.
- Kawasaki disease is the leading cause of acquired heart disease in children in the UK, which may be preventable.
- Kawasaki disease has gained increasing attention since the Covid-19 pandemic, with unhelpful terms such as Kawasaki-like causing confusion amongst parents and health professionals alike.